The present invention relates to sterilization of medical equipment and, in particular, it concerns sterilization of medical equipment using ozone plasma.
Of most relevance to the present invention is the STERRAD® 100S Sterilization System commercially available from Johnson & Johnson Company. The STERRAD® System is based on the generation of low-temperature gas plasma from hydrogen peroxide. The low temperature gas plasma includes OH radicals which perform the sterilization of the medical equipment. The system does not leave toxic residues on surgical instruments and equipment, eliminating the need for a lengthy aeration phase, and sterile instruments may be used immediately following the 55-minute sterilization cycle. A shortcoming of the aforementioned system is due to the need to use hydrogen peroxide. First, hydrogen peroxide is expensive. Second, hydrogen peroxide needs to be treated carefully. Third, a supply of hydrogen peroxide needs to be purchased specially to operate the system.
There is therefore a need for an effective sterilization system and method for medical equipment using cheap and readily available supplies.